Stay With Me
by LongLiveEvil.VK
Summary: A Home invasion gone wrong leaves Maya Hart broken and searching for her best friend, and struggling with the guilt of knowing who the two people who attacked and took Riley that night. Maya has a dark secret that only Riley and Auggie know about, will this secret break everyone apart or could it help save her best friend? (Trigger Warning!)
1. Chapter 1 : Familiar Voices

Riley stood there dumbfounded and watched as one of the masked intruders stalked over to Maya, and her blue eyes widened in fear and Riley knew what was about to happen. She quickly ran over to the intruder and kicked him hard in the back just as he reached for Maya,

"You stay away from her, Maya Run!" Riley screamed to her best friend as a hand was clamped over her mouth, the young brunette tween struggled and stared with pleading eyes at her best friend as if begging her to get away and hide. Her light brown eyes filled with tears as she let out one final shout at Maya before the person who held her hit her upside the head with the butt of their gun causing Riley to fall to the ground. Maya blinked at the man who lifted up an unconscious Riley, She knew who it was behind the mask, and it caused her so much pain. Maya quickly turned however and took off up the stairs towards Riley's bedroom where she found Farkle sitting on the bed holding Riley's brother Auggie comfortingly as he cried. As soon as Farkle met Maya's gaze he knew something terrible had happened, he felt a pang in his heart as Maya closed the door quickly behind her and bit her already bleeding lip nodding slowly at Farkle who looked down at Auggie and scooped him into his arms as he stood up.

"What do we do Maya, they are going to be here any minute, and we can't let them get-" Farkle glanced down at Auggie and back at Maya with sad eyes.

Maya walked up to the two boys and ruffled the little boy's hair and kissed Farkle on the cheek "I need you and Auggie in that closet, scoot Auggie as far back as you can and stay as quiet as possible."

"What about you?!" Farkle quickly exclaimed with worry.

"I will uh.." Maya scanned the room until her gaze hit the single bed "I will hide under here, quick let's go we don't have much time!" she pushed Farkle towards the closet and dropped down to the ground and slid underneath the messy bed. She bit her lip as the door squeaked open slowly, Maya hoped Auggie would stay quiet as her mind kept flashing to downstairs and wondered if Riley were alright.

Maya held a hand over her mouth as he watched as someone strolled into the room, she saw a pair of boots walk around the perimeter of the bed, and Maya stood silently with her hand still over her mouth as she was sure the person was going to find her. Maya's heart was pounding when she heard a noise and looked up to see the closet door squeak open partially, and her heart skipped a beat as the unknown assailant rushed to it and swung it open revealing Farkle who was huddled in the front his foot had accidentally kicked the door. He was grabbed by his hair causing him to yell out, and Maya tightly closed her eyes hoping Auggie would stay safe and not make a sound, Farkle kicked and knocked over the lamp in Riley's room before a loud bang was heard in the hall which caused Maya to jump. Soon the house was silent, and Maya quickly but silently came out from under the bed and rushed to the closet,

"Auggie?!" Maya exclaimed in a panic as she looked around, her eyes settled on the little boy's small frame which huddled underneath some clothing. She felt her heart tighten as Auggie scrambled to form the hiding spot and clung to her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as his sobs echoed in the dark closet.

"Maya! Who were those people!"

"I don't know Auggie…" Maya lied as she hugged the boy tighter and did her best to hold him as she walked them quietly down the stairs. She wasn't sure if the people were gone, but they had to get out of the house. As they made it down the stairs she froze in fear as she looked around the destroyed living room, her mind replayed Riley's screams as her gaze fell on a small trail of blood that led out the front door. Maya kept Auggie close to her tightening the grip she had on him more as a bright light shined on the two, she felt her heart begin to race until two police officers and a smartly dressed woman come rushing into the destroyed apartment. Auggie whimpered, but Maya stood still perhaps there was hope that Riley and Farkle had been saved and this terrible night would be behind them. The smartly dressed woman walked over to them as the two officers walked in and out of each room yelling "Clear" as they exited. The woman smiled although it was hard to see In the dark living room she knelt down in front of Auggie and Maya,

"My name is Officer Ramirez, and we are going to get you two to the hospital. Can you tell me your names?"

Auggie looked up at Maya and bit his lip, he was still shaking and crying from what happened, and Maya simply stood silently as if she were a million miles away.

"Alright, perhaps I can get your names after… come with me" Officer Ramirez said kindly as she led the two kids out of the apartment and into the dimly lit street outside.

As they walked towards the waiting ambulance, a woman's voice called out, and suddenly Auggie yelled out

"Mommy!"

Topanga Matthews rushed past the police tape that was already being placed to signal that the place was a crime scene. She reached the kids with a look of worry as two officers grabbed her,

"He's my son, let me see him!" Topanga cried as she looked at the officer

"Can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on? Cory said as he ran up to his wife and looked at Maya and Auggie.

"Mrs….and Mr…" Officer Ramirez began

"Matthews.." Topanga said quickly, just wanting to hold her child.

"Right, Mrs. Matthews. You and your husband are going to have to follow us to the hospital; I'm afraid there's been a home invasion at your residence tonight."

"What, what are you saying.." Topanga looked at Maya and blinked just realizing that Riley wasn't with her. "My daughter, where is my daughter?" and Maya's heart broke more, she had failed her best friend and her best friends parents. She looked down at the ground as the officer handed Auggie to Topanga.

"I think it's best we spoke at the hospital." Officer Ramirez spoke as she glanced at Maya and back at Topanga. Topanga looked up at the dark apartment building and again at the officer as she held Auggie tightly.

"She's not…."

"No, but please we have to go now… it's better if we get the children away from this place." Officer Ramirez placed a hand on Maya's shoulder and led her to the ambulance while The Matthews' followed behind, soon they were heading quickly towards the hospital and what would be the longest night ever was soon to begin.

Topanga kept Auggie close to her as she wiped his tears gently with her finger, she occasionally glanced up at Maya who had a nasty bruise forming around her eye and a busted lip, the girl was shivering but seemed lost in her little world. The woman felt bad for her and nudged Cory slightly before nodding towards Maya, Cory glanced up and cleared his throat "Hey Maya, how are you holding up?" he placed his hand on Maya's knee but quickly drew it back as he noticed the girl tense up and cross her legs. He looked at Topanga with worry as Maya scooted herself into a small corner of the stretcher she was on. Once they arrived at the hospital, Auggie was taken into a room with Maya while Topanga and Cory were brought to a waiting room with one of the officers.

"Why can't we be with them? They need a familiar face…" Topanga said as she looked over at the room where the kids were being held.

"The children will be alright, but first I have a few questions, first where can we find Maya Hart's mother?"

Cory and Topanga looked at each other and back at the officer, "Katy Hart is Maya's mother." Topanga pulled out her phone "Should I call her?"

"That would be best; we cannot treat Maya until we have a parent here. Your son August Matthews however, is doing fine. He was not hurt he's not sure what happened tonight. We want to keep him a few days in our children's ward, you both can also stay. Later we will send an officer with one of you to gather some belongings from your apartment."

Topanga nodded as she dialed the number for Katy's cell and waited for it to pick up there was no answer, so she left a voicemail.

"Katy, I need you to come to the hospital something happened at the house. They can't tell me anything about Maya, but please come as soon as you can." she hung up and turned to the officer "She will get the message soon, and I'm sure she'll be right over, can you tell us about our daughter now?"

"yes, we have reason to believe that your daughter may have been kidnapped along with another boy around the same age, we looked on the security cameras and saw both being dragged out of the building. The two intruders wore masks so we couldn't make out who they were but we believe it was a man and a woman. We are going to try everything we can to find them alive."

Topanga felt as if her heart had just been yanked out, not only was Riley missing but Farkle had been there as well. "Why were Maya and Auggie spared? If they were all in the house."

"That is what we are trying to figure out, be patient and let us do our jobs alright? And while you are here I would call family and friends; you are going to need the support."

Topanga looked to Cory who already had his phone out to call his parents and Shawn, while Topanga quickly pulled out her phone to contact Stewart Minkus and tell him that his son was missing along with her daughter.

Soon a rush of voices came flooding the halls of the hospital, and Katy Harts panicked voice rang out above everyone.

"Where the hell is my daughter, let me see my daughter!" Katy yelled as two orderlies came over to see why so many people were in the hospital. Topanga rushed out into the hall and upon seeing the commotion quickly ran over to Katy,

"It's alright they are here for us…" she turned to Katy and hugged her tightly

"What happened Topanga, where is Maya.. is Riley alright?"

Topanga felt a lump form in her throat as she leaned back from the hug "Let us focus on Maya right now okay? I think they are waiting for your permission so they can look at her."

Katy nodded as Topanga led her to a room where Maya sat still as ever staring blankly at the floor while the officer's asked her questions.

"If you don't tell us what happened then we will not be able to help you, please tell us." one of the officer's said pleadingly. Maya kept quiet and kept her hands between her legs and bit the inside of her cheek,

"Maya! Oh god, my baby!"

Maya looked up to see her mother running up to her, Katy wrapped her arms tightly around the girl before pulling away only after Maya stiffened up, "Maya? It's okay…" she said lowly "its just me" Maya's face contorted as she kicked her mother in the stomach and screamed,

"No! No get away from me, leave me alone! RILEY!" one of the officers rushed to Maya's side and attempted to hold her still which only caused Maya to scream louder. Katy stepped back as Officer Ramirez, and a doctor ran into the room,

"What happened?" the female officer said as she went over to Auggie who watched In fear as the doctor inserted an IV and sedated the girl.

"Get her out of here!" Officer Ramirez shouted as she pointed at Katy. She knew something wasn't right and she would get to the bottom of this. The officer looked back at Auggie and smiled reassuringly "It's alright, Maya was just tired, so we gave her some medicine to help her sleep. Would you like your mom and dad to come in?"

Auggie nodded, and Cory and Topanga rushed in, glancing at Maya who was sleeping. Upon seeing his parents, Auggie became excited again and hugged them both tightly as if never wanting to let go.

"Mister and Mrs. Matthews, how would you say Maya and her mothers' relationship is?" Officer Ramirez spoke once Katy was out of the room.

"Katy loves her daughter, and Maya loves her mother, why are you asking this?" Cory said sneaking a glance at the window where Katy stared from outside, Cory never noticed before but Katy wasn't looking at her daughter with worry, She was glaring at the girl and this made him very uneasy.


	2. Chapter 2 : Painful Memories

"Are you going to have to question them?" Topanga said as Auggie rested in her arms.  
Officer Ramirez nodded "yes, sadly this trauma is going to be well very hard, but you are more than welcome to sit in while one of our therapists talk to him."  
"Okay, and what about Maya? Could one of us sit in?" Cory asked hopefully.  
"I'm afraid not; it has to be a parent or guardian."  
Topanga nodded as she held her son giving him one final squeeze "we understand, I think she's awake now could I at least say hi to her?"  
The officer shook her head again and took Auggie's hand gently "Let's just focus on your son for right now, and the doctor needs to look over Maya there's some trauma that needs to be taken care of." She hoped Cory and Topanga would get what she was saying even though she couldn't come out and say that Maya had most likely been assaulted. Cory and Topanga's faces fell as they looked at each other before glancing at Maya who laid still in her bed hunched over as if protecting herself from an unknown force. It broke their hearts, but they had to focus Auggie at the moment. Once they got settled in another room which was filled with toys and games a woman walked in, she had a kind face and her hair was neatly tied back.  
"It's so nice to meet you, I am Dr. Simmons" she shook Topanga and Cory's hands before crouching down to Auggie "and who might you be?" she said brightly.  
" Matthews," he said quietly as he held his mother's hand tighter  
"Its okay Auggie, she's nice and wants to ask you some questions okay? Daddy and I will be right here."  
Auggie nodded and sat down on one of the wooden chairs that sat in the center of the room tucked neatly underneath a wooden table where some crayons and construction were.  
"So Auggie, do you like to color?" Dr. Simmons asked as she took a seat in front of him.  
Auggie nodded shyly, and the woman smiled, "well I was wondering if you would like to draw me a picture, can you do that for me?"  
Auggie looked at his parents who looked at him with worried expressions, "yes, I can but what do you want me to draw?"  
"Well, how about a nice picture of your family, let's start with that ok?"  
"Okay," he said as he picked up a crayon and began drawing a house focusing intently on the picture. Dr. Simmons turned to Cory and Topanga,  
"He's a bright child; luckily he may not have seen anything too traumatic which is a good thing. Trauma can be tricky when a child is young because if not treated immediately it can cause many problems in the future."  
"How will drawing a picture of his family help with that?" Cory said as he glanced at his son who was hard at work drawing what looked like a little stick figure of a mommy.  
"It will make sense; there's a method to my madness so to speak." Dr. Simmons said as Auggie exclaimed that he had finished his drawing. She turned around and beamed showing her pearly white teeth as she did.  
"Well let's take a look shall we?"  
Dr. Simmons hung the photo up on an easel and stepped back, "wow, that is quite a family. who are all these people?"  
Auggie stood up and shuffled over to the picture first pointing at a tall stick figure with short hair, "That's Daddy, he's a teacher" he then pointed at a slightly shorter person with long hair that had been colored brown. "that's Mommy she works as an attorney!"  
"Ah kinda like a superhero" Dr. Simmons winked.  
Auggie gave a small smile and pointed at the littlest stick figure "that's me."  
Dr. Simmons nodded and looked at the boys' parents with a slight nod. She gazed at the picture until her eyes fell onto two medium-sized stick figures, one with brown colored hair and the other with blonde. "who are these two?"  
"Maya and Riley…" Auggie said with a small crack in his voice. He wiped his eyes as tears began to fall down his cheeks.  
"would you like to tell me about them?" Dr. Simmons asked as she placed a box of tissues beside the boy.  
Auggie nodded silently but kept quiet.  
"Take your time, whenever you're ready." Dr. Simmons said quietly.

Auggie looked at his parents once more and took a deep breath in and out, "It was mommy and daddy 's, and they left Riley and Maya in charge. We played games and ate dinner." He continued talking as he tried his best to remember what happened, "Bad guys came in, and one of them had a gun, they said if Farkle told anybody Riley and Maya would die! Farkle took me upstairs, and we listened to screaming and a lot of loud noises. I started to cry, and Farkle was trying to keep me quiet, and Maya ran into the room, she was bleeding, and she told Farkle to hide with me in the closet. I just wanted mommy and daddy to come home, and I didn't know where Riley was or why she wasn't here. Then Farkle kicked the door because he was trying to pile clothes on me and the bad guy came in and grabbed him, I almost screamed, but Maya told me to stay quiet."

Auggie was in tears by the end of his explanation and ran to his parents hugging them tightly "Maya protected me from the bad guys Mommy! She came in the room and told Farkle to hide me far in the corner, and he did, she's a hero, and you can't be mad at her! " the little boy cried as his mother held him tight.  
Topanga looked shocked "Auggie, what makes you think I'm mad at Maya?"  
"Because you didn't talk to her, and then Daddy moved away from her, and that's what people do when they are mad," Auggie replied in tears.  
"Oh Auggie, no… we aren't mad at Maya at all. We want her to feel better and then we are going to take her home with us, Your dad and I are just perturbed for her right now." Topanga looked at the Doctor and then at her husband.  
"Auggie, do you know who the bad guys were? Did they say anything or do anything?" Dr. Simmons said.  
Auggie kept quiet for a few minutes as his face flushed and he seemed nervous all of a sudden. Topanga rubbed his back "its okay Auggie, you can tell her."  
"No, I can't… its a secret," Auggie said softly remembering one day when he was spying on Riley and Maya as they talked.  
"A Secret? Whose secret?"  
"Maya's Secret. And I promised I wouldn't tell."  
Cory, Topanga and the doctor all looked at each other as Auggie went back to color, they needed to talk to Maya and could only hope she would tell them her secret.


	3. Chapter 3: Maya's Secret

Two officers were placed outside of Maya's hospital room door for her safety. The sun was already beginning to rise which meant that Riley and Farkle had been missing now for almost a day, Inside the room Officer Ramirez and a female doctor were attempting to get Maya to talk but she was clammed up.

"Maya listen, we need to know what happened so that we can help you." Officer Ramirez spoke to the girl who was trying her best not to tear up. Maya didn't understand why they were so interested in helping her when her best friends were missing,

"Why does what I know change or help you find Riley and Farkle" Maya said hoarsely.

"Maya, It will help because you were there you must have seen something and somebody hurt you. We just want to know who." Officer Ramirez glanced at the X-ray photo on the wall that showed that Maya had a cracked rib, Maya to look away and let a few tears slip down her cheek before wiping them away. She wished only to be alone at this time, they were spending their time questioning her when they should be out looking for her best friend. As she laid in the bed she felt a feeling of dread overcome her, she glanced at the door and saw Topanga peeking in with a sad look on her face Maya knew that she had failed to protect Riley and she knew that the Matthews would be disappointed in her.

"Maya, please tell us what happened" The police woman said quietly as she reached to gently touch the girls hand. Maya pulled her hand away quickly and curled into a ball, almost crying out in pain as she did it. She closed her eyes tightly and kept her mouth closed, she heard a sigh and soon the door opened and closed as she room became silent. She knew she was alone and so she turned her head just to be sure before exhaustion took hold and she fell asleep, the dream soon became a nightmare as Maya's face contorted and her eyes close even tighter as she twisted and turned in the hospital bed.

 _ _Maya was walking down a long hallway when she saw a room, as she walked closer to it a bright light shined brightly and soon she was in the Matthews living room. A strange feeling overcame her as she walked slowly towards the sofa in the center of the room. Maya froze however as a menacing laugh came from behind her, she turned around to see Riley laying in a pool of blood beneath her feet and a masked man standing over the body. She backed away and soon Topanga and Cory were there they looked angry and so dissapointed but Riley was no longer there instead she was standing alone in the room with them and the man was gone.__

 _"_ _ _You failed to protect your best friend!"__

 _"_ _ _You will never be forgiven Maya"__

 _"_ _ _nobody truly cares about you!"__

 _ _Maya felt tears stream down her face as dark figures whispered and yelled at her, they surrounded her and continued to speak of betrayal and failure.__

 _"_ _ _I tried my best! I tried my best!" Maya screamed as she fell to her knees and began to sob as she hugged herself tightly. The voices became louder until they all stopped and a bright light shined on her again only this time the masked man came back and pointed a gun at her. The blonde haired girl looked up and a loud shot rang out.__

Maya bolted upright in the bed, her breathing was shallow and she quickly regretted the sudden movement as the pain from her ribs caused her to grab her side. She took a few deep breaths and looked around the empty hospital room before laying back on the bed, Everything was still and quiet except for the muffled voices of people outside. She tensed as the door quietly opened and closed after a few moments, she wondered if she should pretend to be asleep but even the thought of that scared her. Maya glanced to the side of the bed as she noticed something or someone climb up beside her,

"Maya?" the voice said softly and she turned around to see Auggie laying beside her, his forehead length curls fell in front of his deep brown eyes which were red and puffy from crying.

"A..Auggie? are you doing in here?" Maya questioned as she painfully sat herself up.

"I wanted to see you but nobody would let me"

"So you snuck in here?"

Auggie nodded and nestled himself into the girls arms, and things were silent for a little while

"Maya?" Auggie's small voice called out to her, it seemed so fragile and sad but Maya sucked up her emotions and looked down at the boy,

"Yeah Auggie?"

"I miss Riley, why did those people take her?"

Maya felt her heart clench as she looked at the boy she considered a brother, "I don't know why they took her…" she sighed and took hold of Auggie's hand giving it a small squeeze "You remember my secret, and how I told you to promise never to repeat it?" Auggie nodded, he did remember, the girls had been sitting at the bay window and he was listening to their conversation about Maya's home life,

 _"_ _ _Riles, I need to tell you something and it's not easy promise you won't freak out?" Maya said to her best friend who sat opposite her in the Bay window.__

 _"_ _ _I promise Maya, you can tell me anything" Riley placed her hand on top of Maya's and smiled brightly__

 _"_ _ _My father came back…"__

 _"_ _ _Well thats great, you all can be a family again right?" Riley noticed the pained look on her best friends face and gently grabbed Maya's shoulder but pulled away quickly when Maya winced in pain.__

 _"_ _ _M..Maya, let me see your shoulder, please."__

 _ _Maya bit her lip but did as she was told and rolled down her shirt until her bare shoulder was shown, Riley let out a loud gasp as she gazed at the big angry slash mark over top a purple bruise.__

 _"_ _ _Maya he did that to you?"__

 _ _Maya said nothing but allowed a few tears to fall down her cheek, that was all the answer Riley needed as she stood up abruptly and headed for the door.__

 _"_ _ _no!" Maya yelled as she stood up and grabbed her best friend by the hand, she looked at her with wide pleading eyes,__

 _"_ _ _Maya I have to tell my parents, this isn't right."__

 _"_ _ _Riley, you can tell your parents about my mother not showing up for things, or when I fail at something… but this…this is just, to important and you have to swear you wont tell anyone about this! Promise me."__

 _ _Before Riley could say anything a sniffle was heard from underneath the desk in Riley's room, She stalked over and grabbed Auggie's hand.__

 _"_ _ _Auggie! Were you listening to us?" Riley exclaimed as she wiped her eyes which were wet with tears.__

 _"_ _ _I thought you were talking about my birthday party, I.I'm sorry Riley" Auggie said nervously. The two Matthews kids could see that Maya was in a panic and so Riley nodded her head at Maya and sniffled while holding Auggie's hand, "I promise I won't say a word Maya." The brunette turned to her little brother and knelt down "You have to promise too Auggie, this is a very big secret and if you keep it then you will be like one of us big kids."__

 _ _Auggie liked the idea of being a big kid and so he nodded "I promise"__

 _ _-End of Flashback-__

Maya looked at Auggie and hugged him tightly before he spoke again, "Maya do you know who those people were?" Auggie knew Maya had said no yesterday but he didn't believe it.

Maya was silent for a bit until she nodded "Yes Auggie, I know who took them."

"Why did they take them?"

"That I don't know.." Maya said as Auggie laid his head on Maya's shoulder.

"I told mommy" Auggie said after a little silence. This caused Maya to tense a little bit but she nodded and gave Auggie a small smile, "It's ok Auggie"the little boy closed his eyes and fell asleep when Suddenly the door to Maya's room opened and Topanga Matthews walked in a look of relief appeared on her face when she saw Auggie sleeping with his face buried in Maya's arms. Maya kept her eyes away from Topanga's her nightmare had scared her enough to know that the woman probably hated her.

"Maya?" Topanga spoke softly and moved over to the side of the bed where the girl was facing, "I'm so sorry."

Maya's eyes widened as she looked at the woman who stood in front of her, "what did you say?" Maya blinked back some tears that threatened to spill.

"Auggie told me everything, about your secret and I am just so sorry this happened to you."

"Y..you shouldn't be sorry I should be the sorry one"

Topanga tilted her head to the side "why should you be sorry Maya? You did nothing wrong." The blonde haired girl couldn't hold it in any longer, the floodgates of her soul burst open as a river of tears fell from her light blue eyes. Topanga wrapped her arms around the young girl as she cried and soothed her, "It's alright Maya, everything is going to be alright."

"No! No it won't… I failed her, I failed everyone and I don't deserve to be comforted!" Maya yelled as she tried pushing Topanga away. The woman held tighter to the girl as her heart broke even more,

"Oh Maya, you didn't fail anyone.. you didn't know this was going to happen, you should not blame yourself"

"I know who took them." Maya cried as she held tightly to the woman, not realizing that Topanga was crying silently.


	4. Chapter 4: Revelations

Riley opened her eyes and looked around the musty smelling room she was in, as she stood up a rushing pain filled her head and caused her to lose her balance and trip over a chair that was in the center of the room. When she sat up she rubbed her head and looked around while seated, the room was small and was more than the size of a basement there was a dirty mattress on one side of the room and a door that had been bolted shut.  
" going on, where am I…" Riley's mind was rushing with questions until she gasped painfully and jerked her head around the room,  
"Maya Auggie Farkle?!" she stood up once again this time waiting until she was less woozy she used the wall for support feeling the coolness of the stone against her palms, soon there was a blinding light as the locked door opened and a masked person came rushing inside and turned on a light. Riley squinted before seeing the person hunched over something that wasn't moving, She walked closer and almost screamed when she saw Farkle laying on the ground with the masked person kneeling over him and holding a blood-soaked cloth to the boy's head. Upon seeing this Riley freaked  
"Stay away from him! What did you do, you monster!" she screamed as she grabbed the mask that covered the person and yanked it until it came off. Riley fell backward and looked at the mask in her hand as the person stood up slowly, her eyes widened as the person came into view.  
" ?!" Riley exclaimed dumbfounded.  
"Riley, this isn't what you think." Katy Hart spoke, the woman stood up and turned to the brunette.  
"Not what I think?! you, Maya's own mother kidnapped us and you're just going to act casual?" Riley shouted as she backed away from the woman. Katy went silent and put a finger up to her lip  
"You need to be quiet, please… stop shouting if you know whats good for you."  
Riley's eyes narrowed as she stood up, dropping the mask on the ground, there was no way she was going to just sit back and be silent even as her legs shook. "You don't want me to shout? Why? Tell me.." Riley turned to the door and screamed for help until Katy put a hand over her mouth,  
"Riley please… you aren't understanding!"  
Riley struggled and bit down on the woman's hand before screaming louder, Suddenly the door opened widely and two other masked people came barreling into the room. Riley stumbled backward before the taller person grabbed her roughly causing her to cry out.  
"Kermit let her go!" Katy yelled before quickly covering her mouth and glancing at Riley as she realized what she had said. The man took his mask off revealing his longish blonde hair and beard,  
"son of a bitch… Katy can't you do anything right?!" Kermit said as he shoved Riley to the ground and snapped his fingers urging the other two people to follow him. Soon Riley was alone and she immediately scrambled to Farkle whose breathing was shallow,  
"Farkle. Farkle please wake up…" Riley whispered before her ears picked up loud muffled speaking from behind the locked door. She walked over and pressed her ear against it, listening as best she could.

"Do you realize that brat saw your face! This could ruin everything." Kermit yelled as he paced the floor contemplating what to do.  
"Riley won't say anything, I swear she won't... She's Maya's best friend and she kept Maya's secret." Katy spoke on Riley's behalf causing Riley to wonder what they were planning. She pressed her ear closer to the door and picked up another voice.  
"That boy, he doesn't seem like a five-year-old… I would say he's around 12 or 13…"  
"That boy is not who we wanted… his name is Farkle and he's another one of Maya's friends." Katy said quietly.  
Kermit slammed his fist on the table, "What!? you mean… Is that boy not August Matthews? You mean to tell me… that my darling wife and ex-wife have failed in getting a five-year-old boy?!" Riley gasped but kept listening.  
"Here's what we are going to do…. You two are going to get August, and I am going to kill Farkle…"  
"Are you nuts? We're already in enough trouble for kidnapping now you want to add murder to this?!" Katy spoke frantically.  
"It's the only way," Kermit said. Riley stumbled backward and scrambled to Farkle as he began to groan.  
"W..whats going on…" the boy stood up quickly and set his eyes on Riley, "Riley? Where are we?!"  
"I think we're in a house… Maya's mom and dad are involved and some other lady, I think Kermit said it was his new wife…" Riley said quickly before placing her hands on the boy's shoulders.  
"Farkle, I need you to do something for me…"  
"What is it, Riley? I'll do anything to keep you safe.."  
Riley took a breath and bit her lip, "I need you to fake your death so you can get out of here…"  
Farkle's eyes widened as he scooted back,  
"Riley are you crazy? I'm not leaving you here alone with these..these…"  
"Kidnappers, Murderers… abusers…" Riley said seriously as she stared at her friend.  
"wait.. what do you mean murderers and abusers…"  
"Kermit abused Maya when she was younger and…. Kermit is planning on murdering you."  
"WHAT?!" Farkle screamed before Riley slapped her hand over his mouth,  
"Shh.. please do this for me… you can get help." Riley said with wide worried eyes, "Please…"  
Farkle looked down for a moment before looking back at Riley, "why don't you just fake your death...  
"I..I have to help Katy."  
"You want to help our kidnapper?!" Farkle asked as he moved his head to remove Riley's hand.  
"I don't think she wants to be apart of this... I think she want's to keep us safe."  
Farkle was quiet, he wasn't sure how Riley could have such endless hope in everyone… including the woman who had kidnapped them. He looked at Riley and frowned "what if she doesn't want help?"  
"Everybody wants help… Farkle, and your apart of it.. if you get out of here you can get to a hospital or the police or something.." Riley was tearing up as she spoke which meant she felt strongly about the situation.  
"Alright Riley, I don't like it.. but for you, I will do it."  
Riley wrapped her arms around Farkle and sniffled "thank you.." she whispered before pulling away, "Now lets fake your death." Farkle nodded but he was extremely worried about how this would end.


	5. Chapter 5: The Escape

Riley noticed how pale Farkle had gotten and wondered if it had something to do with his head. She shook her head and smiled however

Farkle wasn't the best at acting but at this moment she had to have as much faith in him as possible. She kissed his forehead and smiled "you ready for this?" she said quietly as she rubbed some of the blood from his head onto her clothes to make it more realistic. Farkle nodded and soon Riley let out an ear piercing shriek causing Kermit and Katy to come running into the dimly lit room,

"Riley why are you screaming?!" Katy exclaimed nervously as her eyes glanced over to Kermit.

"F..Farkle.. he..he's Dead!" Riley turned to face them and from how they were looking at her they weren't buying it until suddenly Farkle's eyes shot wide opened his face became extremely red before soon he was thrashing his arms and shaking profusely.

"F…Farkle?… Farkle!" Riley screamed in a true panic as she watched her friend took short labored breaths. She turned to Katy with wide frightened eyes, pleading with her to do something, She screamed however when Kermit walked over to him pointing a gun at the boy.

"NO! Please… if he has to die let him die outside… please!" Riley begged the man, she only wanted the boy to fake being dead and soon he stopped moving. The brunette couldn't tell if he was breathing or not, She watched as Kermit and his new wife carried Farkle's body out of the house. She didn't know whether he was even alive, She simply got up and walked over to the mattress that was on the floor and hugged her knees tightly. Katy had stayed behind while Farkle was taken to the nearest ditch Kermit and his wife could find, She walked over slowly noticing the blood on the brunette's shirt and frowned.

"You do know that whole fake death wasn't going to work right?" Katy said as she sat beside Riley.

"What do you care…you killed my friend, maybe he was right."

"Right about what?"

"Maybe you don't want to change…" Riley mumbled before putting her head between her legs and crying. Katy's eyes widened when she said that but she said nothing and walked out of the room, leaving Riley alone with her sadness.

Kermit and his wife drove to the freeway where they had wrapped Farkle's body in a rug in order for him not to be seen. Together they both tossed it into a drainage ditch before speeding off into the night, An hour passed by and soon Farkle regained consciousness he tried to move but found that he was stuck. He wiggled and grunted until the rug unraveled and he was able to crawl on his hands and knees into the street just as a car sped down the road, The squeal of tires and the sound of panicked voices was all the boy heard until darkness overcame him.

"Farkle Minkus, Age 13.. he was brought in by a couple who had been driving down the freeway" a voice Farkle couldn't make out was talking as he struggled to open his eyes he felt it very hard to do so. Soon his eyes did flutter open and he noticed he was in a hospital and went to reach for his head, feeling a thick gauze covering his skull and a strong but gentle hand putting it back down beside him.

"W..where am I?" Farkle mumbled, his throat was hoarse and raspy as a doctor in a white lab coat walked over.

"I'm Dr. Hendricks, you're in the hospital Farkle.. would you mind telling me what happened?" the doctor said as he made his way over to check the monitors.

"w..where are my parents."

"They are right outside, you do need to answer some questions the police have thought."

Farkle could only nod as his mind went to how Riley was doing right now but also how long had they been missing.

" long have I.. I mean we… been. Missing?" Farkle said weakly

The doctor turned to face the boy and gave a small smile "A week." he said before waving the boys parents down to tell them it was alright to come in.

"Farkle! My baby boy" Farkle's mother Jennifer cried as she ran over to her son and wrapped her arms around him. Farkle's eyes welled up with tears briefly when he noticed his father Stuart was crying as well.

"Mom, Dad... I'm sorry"

"Sorry for what, you did nothing wrong," Stuart said as he walked over to his wife and son.

"I couldn't protect them, Riley protected me…" Farkle said sadly as he began to cry.

"What happened Farkle, you saw Riley? She's okay?" Jennifer asked.

Farkle nodded and wrung his hands together nervously, "I got hit with something and when I woke up I was in a dark room and Riley was there…" Farkle tried to remember what Riley had told him about the people involved but he couldn't remember.

"It's alright, your head injury caused a seizure and so you may have a little trouble remembering for a while." Dr. Hendricks said.

"Riley she's still with them… wait… where's Maya and Auggie?!" Farkle panicked.

"They went home with Topanga and Cory, they are fine," Stuart said softly.

"No. No, they aren't safe... I remember something, something Riley said but not all of it, T..they were going to kill me," Stuart and Jennifer's face dropped at this statement but they let their son continue, "someone was yelling something about I wasn't the one who was suppose be taken.." Farkle's eyes widen as he looked at his parents and the doctor

"They wanted Auggie."

Since the Matthews Apartment was a crime scene the Matthews and Maya had decided to stay in a hotel, possibly one of the nicest hotels Maya had ever stayed in. When they got into their room they had no idea that a van was watching their every move, they just had to wait for the time to strike.

"Maya…" Kermit said as he peered through his binoculars at his blonde haired daughter who seemed relieved and comfortable with the Matthews. His eyes, however, scanned down to a small boy in the arms of Topanga Matthews, the boy's small brown curls bounced against his forehead as Cory Matthews unlocked the door and soon the family disappeared into the room. Kermit sat back and nudged his wife for attention,

"You and Katy have this right? You can do this without messing up this time?"

"You know we can Kermit, but explain to me again why we are doing this?"

Kermit turned to his wife and frowned, "Vanessa darling, Maya told her best friend a huge secret one that could get me locked up for life. So what better way to get Maya to keep her trap shut then to take away the only people she trusts in this world."

"She could just move on with herself…"

"This Riley girl is Maya's best friend and her little brother is just a consolation prize, then we will send Maya a text in a few weeks saying how we would like to see her and we will kill them right in front of her," Kermit said with a laugh. Vanessa couldn't help but get a chill up her spine, her husband was going to murder two innocent children to teach his daughter to not tell a secret, she didn't even know what the secret was.

"Do you understand now?"

Vanessa nodded silently, she could only hope things worked out differently as they drove away. She knew that she and Katy were going to have to take the little boy soon, and she was not looking forward to that.

Maya jumped onto the bed and immediately laid down in a ball, she had been in the hospital for five days and her best friends had been missing for a week. She wasn't sure how to cope with this information but now Topanga and Cory knew who had taken them and this scared her deeply. The Matthews were still shocked at finding out that Maya's parents and her fathers new wife were behind this brutal attack. Topanga was just putting Auggie to sleep when a text came on her phone, she gasped and sat up quickly on the bed causing Maya to lift her head slightly.

"They found Farkle…" Topanga said to her husband,

"I..is he alright?" Maya said quietly.

Topanga turned around quickly as she heard Maya's voice, "I'm sorry sweety I didn't realize you were awake.. yes, Farkle is fine, his parents are with him at the hospital we will go see him tomorrow."

Maya didn't dare ask about Riley but Topanga must have sensed that she was concerned because she came over and rubbed her forehead, "they will find her, and then we will all be together." Topanga kissed her forehead and stood up. "You get some rest alright?"

Maya nodded and turned her back to the others, she tried to close her eyes but she couldn't sleep for fear of having another nightmare, she stared at the wall and silently prayed that everyone would be alright.


End file.
